Since I've been considering the possibility that I need a new orthopedist (and not necessarily the one the my current orthopedist recommends), I've been asking around about orthopedists. One of my friends, who had hip arthroscopy a few months after I did, said that she liked her doctor 'just fine.' It wasn't exactly a rousing endorsement, except then she added that she had only seen him a few times, followed by, 'You know, my hip really doesn't hurt at all anymore.' Then it struck me that I should not be shopping around for an orthopedist that I like; I should be shopping around for one with whom I will not need to have a long-term relationship. LOL.
I thought of this because I just got back from my third ultrasound for my DVT, and I realized I was becoming a regular at the imaging place. Although it is very lovely and the staff are very nice and I've had nothing but really good experiences with the techs, I don't think it's a good place to be a regular. Ha. My appointment was at 2:45, and they asked me to be there at 2:30, so of course I was there by 2:25. I hadn't even finished filling out the forms they gave me when I was called back to do my registration. Then the woman registering me informed me that I didn't need to do any of the paperwork because I had done it recently, and if they ever tried to give it to me again (i.e., when I go back on Tuesday), I should just tell them I've already done it. So 'registration' took all of two minutes, and I was back in the ultrasound room by 2:35 and back in my car before 3:00. In and out.
A fast ultrasound is a good ultrasound. This much I know. If it takes a long time, it means they are stopping a lot and taking pictures of your blood clots and drawing a line across them to show the diameter. It was a different tech this time, and unlike the one I've had before, she did not have the screen turned on that allows you to see what she was doing, but I could tell by how quickly she was going that she was probably not finding anything exciting (exciting being bad in this case). In the end, she told me that things looked much better than before. Hurray. I asked if she saw any blood clots at all and she sort of hesitated, then said, 'Well, I think once you have them...' She sort of trailed off, so I finished for her, '... then you have them forever?' (I had read this was a possibility.) She said, 'I think sometimes they never clear off the edges...' but then seemed uncomfortable stepping out of her circle of approved dialogue, so I didn't push any more. I guess I will just have to wait and see what the much smarter doctors have to say about it. (That's sarcasm, by the way.) But I feel confident. My leg really doesn't bother me at all anymore, and I've never felt misguided by an ultrasound tech before (and I've had a lot of ultrasounds).
The only bad thing about the ultrasound was that she asked me to rotate my leg, and when I did this, my hip immediately began to throb. I tried to roll my whole body a little, and basically just ended up getting goop all over my other leg. So the ultrasound itself was quite painful, and I'm slightly alarmed about how much that little bit of external rotation hurt me. But I will wait until Tuesday to worry about that. In the mean time, I am going to throw back some meloxicam and go skiing this weekend.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
DVT, Xarelto, and Arthrograms (7 Months + 17 Days)
We finally got a piece of the snow that has been afflicting various parts of the nation. As a result, I went sledding with my kids over the weekend and destroyed my back. It was that falling over, I-think-I-might-throw-up-or-faint-or-both type of pain that struck all at once when I was lifting my son up at the park. My husband suggested dropping me off at the ER on the way home, but I resisted, and when we got home, I threw back one of the hydrocodone pills in my stockpile - either from surgery or from my trip to the ER for DVT. I can't quite remember. That was on Sunday. On Monday, we had a snow day, thank God. Even the university was closed, but if it hadn't been, I would have considered canceling class anyway, because I was dyyyyyyyyying. And I never cancel class. At least, in six years of full-time teaching, during which there have been many crises, including my kids being hospitalized for various reasons, I've never canceled class. But it was bad.
I called my husband's doctor* on Sunday night and left a message asking if I could get in to see him on Monday. I have no idea what I thought he could do for me, but I figured considering the state I was in, I had to do... something. Unfortunately, in my pain-induced stupor, I apparently asked them to call me back at my parents' phone number. LOL. (I've done this before; I actually wrote my mom's work number on a letter of recommendation I wrote. After all, I never call myself, so it's the numbers that I call frequently that are stuck in my head.) When they didn't call back on Monday, I just assumed they were closed because of the snow, but apparently they weren't closed, and they did call me back... and they left a message on my parents' answering machine, which my mom informed me of late on Monday when she got back from work and discovered this weird message on her answering machine. Oops. So I'm an idiot. I immediately called back and they told me that I could get in on Tuesday (today), so I took the appointment.
* I guess he is my doctor now, too, I just haven't fully accepted this.
Fortunately, the hydrocodone was a miracle drug, and whatever was up with my back was temporary, because by Monday evening, I was actually feeling much better, which led me to believe that whatever I had did not involve any bones or cartilage moving out of place. Nonetheless, I decided to keep the appointment, because I've been meaning to follow up with this doc regarding my DVT. It's just that I haven't, because... because I'm me, and dealing with my hip is pretty much all I can handle. One medical thing at a time. Though, I have to say that all of this is really giving me a lot of sympathy/empathy for people who have or have family members who have conditions requiring constant attention. Like... I have a fairly flexible job, and so does my husband, yet scheduling appointments and medical procedures is a real challenge between my work schedule and his work schedule and our kids' school and daycare schedules. Ahhhhhh!
Anyway, I saw the doctor today, and based on a few tests, he said he was sure the back issue was just a muscle spasm and not a disc issue, and I actually believed him. He showed me a few stretches to do for my back, and I couldn't do some of them because it hurt my hip. Then I mentioned that I have a history of back problems, and I normally stretch my back religiously. However, I hadn't done so in a while because of my hip issues, and that could be why I'm having back issues. Ugh, I can't win.
And speaking of my hip, I told him I was scheduled to have an arthrogram on March 3rd, and one of the things they had told me was that I needed to stop taking Xarelto five days before the arthrogram (which I don't get, but whatever). At some point during our appointment, he whipped out his cell phone and seemed to be barely listening to me while fiddling with his cell phone, and all the while I was thinking WTF?! But it turned out he was consulting Dr. Google about the whole Xarelto/arthrogram thing, hahaha. So even doctors consult Dr. Google. He then said he thought that it was standard to stop something like Coumadin five days before an arthrogram, but that he didn't feel it should be the same with Xarelto. I told him the woman on the phone just asked me if I was on a blood thinner, and when I said yes, she hadn't asked me which one; she just told me to stop taking it five days before the arthrogram and to consult my doctor about an appropriate 'replacement.' He said he thought it was different for different medications; however, he would 'research' it more and call me back later with a better answer. Honestly, that made me feel good about him. As an educator, my students are constantly asking me questions, and sometimes I don't have a good answer for them. But I'm always willing to admit when I don't know something, and I then research it and answer them later.
At any rate, I have some selfish motives behind wanting to get off Xarelto. A few days ago, I took my last pill from my prescription, and seeing as how I feel like I should be at the end of my Xarelto days, I didn't refill it, because a) I am lazy, and b) I am cheap, and Xarelto is expensive. Which I know is horrible, and makes me one of those terrible and not compliant patients; at the same time, I have reasons to truly believe it is okay for me to stop taking Xarelto without risking dying of pulmonary embolism. One reason is that my orthopedist actually told me I could stop taking it back in October. Granted, I didn't totally believe him, which is why I sought other opinions and continued to take the medication until now. Nonetheless, I have to think that if one medical professional told me it was okay to stop the medication four months ago, then it shouldn't be life-threatening for me to stop it now.
It just seems to me like a good time to come off the Xarelto; as I discussed with the doctor, I'd like to stop taking it before the arthrogram and just never take it again. Ideally, I'd like to keep taking it until I'm sure my DVT has resolved, but I don't want the refill the entire prescription for 3-4 days when I'm really hoping, hoping, hoping I don't need it anymore. And even if I DO, I just don't feel like I'm high enough risk that missing a few days will kill me. (If it does, I will stand corrected, and will be sure to refill the prescription in my afterlife.) In the end, although I didn't exactly tell him I would not be taking Xarelto for a few days, he agreed that at this point I was 'low risk,' considering this incidence of DVT was my first ever, and that there was a definitive cause behind the DVT in the first place (the surgery).
The sort of funny thing is that he asked me about my family history, and whether there was any family history of blood clots or miscarriage or infertility. I told him I was adopted and have no family history, although I had had a miscarriage. Then later it occurred to me that obviously my biological mom was more fertile than she wanted to be, so it was unlikely she had any issues with fertility. LOL.
The end result of all this is that I'm going to get a 'STAT' ultrasound on Friday to (hopefully) confirm that my DVT is no longer an issue, and that I can rest assured that I don't need to take the Xarelto anymore. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping this turns out well, because this is one thing I'd really like off my mind. The more I think about things and let reality set in, the more I feel like there is still something wrong with my hip. While I hope I am wrong in thinking this, I need to prepare for the possibility that I am not. And if that is the case, I just can't be dealing with a freaking blood clot on top of my hip. Jeez. This is something I'd really like off my mind, once and for all.
Here's to the power of positive thinking.
I called my husband's doctor* on Sunday night and left a message asking if I could get in to see him on Monday. I have no idea what I thought he could do for me, but I figured considering the state I was in, I had to do... something. Unfortunately, in my pain-induced stupor, I apparently asked them to call me back at my parents' phone number. LOL. (I've done this before; I actually wrote my mom's work number on a letter of recommendation I wrote. After all, I never call myself, so it's the numbers that I call frequently that are stuck in my head.) When they didn't call back on Monday, I just assumed they were closed because of the snow, but apparently they weren't closed, and they did call me back... and they left a message on my parents' answering machine, which my mom informed me of late on Monday when she got back from work and discovered this weird message on her answering machine. Oops. So I'm an idiot. I immediately called back and they told me that I could get in on Tuesday (today), so I took the appointment.
* I guess he is my doctor now, too, I just haven't fully accepted this.
Fortunately, the hydrocodone was a miracle drug, and whatever was up with my back was temporary, because by Monday evening, I was actually feeling much better, which led me to believe that whatever I had did not involve any bones or cartilage moving out of place. Nonetheless, I decided to keep the appointment, because I've been meaning to follow up with this doc regarding my DVT. It's just that I haven't, because... because I'm me, and dealing with my hip is pretty much all I can handle. One medical thing at a time. Though, I have to say that all of this is really giving me a lot of sympathy/empathy for people who have or have family members who have conditions requiring constant attention. Like... I have a fairly flexible job, and so does my husband, yet scheduling appointments and medical procedures is a real challenge between my work schedule and his work schedule and our kids' school and daycare schedules. Ahhhhhh!
Anyway, I saw the doctor today, and based on a few tests, he said he was sure the back issue was just a muscle spasm and not a disc issue, and I actually believed him. He showed me a few stretches to do for my back, and I couldn't do some of them because it hurt my hip. Then I mentioned that I have a history of back problems, and I normally stretch my back religiously. However, I hadn't done so in a while because of my hip issues, and that could be why I'm having back issues. Ugh, I can't win.
And speaking of my hip, I told him I was scheduled to have an arthrogram on March 3rd, and one of the things they had told me was that I needed to stop taking Xarelto five days before the arthrogram (which I don't get, but whatever). At some point during our appointment, he whipped out his cell phone and seemed to be barely listening to me while fiddling with his cell phone, and all the while I was thinking WTF?! But it turned out he was consulting Dr. Google about the whole Xarelto/arthrogram thing, hahaha. So even doctors consult Dr. Google. He then said he thought that it was standard to stop something like Coumadin five days before an arthrogram, but that he didn't feel it should be the same with Xarelto. I told him the woman on the phone just asked me if I was on a blood thinner, and when I said yes, she hadn't asked me which one; she just told me to stop taking it five days before the arthrogram and to consult my doctor about an appropriate 'replacement.' He said he thought it was different for different medications; however, he would 'research' it more and call me back later with a better answer. Honestly, that made me feel good about him. As an educator, my students are constantly asking me questions, and sometimes I don't have a good answer for them. But I'm always willing to admit when I don't know something, and I then research it and answer them later.
At any rate, I have some selfish motives behind wanting to get off Xarelto. A few days ago, I took my last pill from my prescription, and seeing as how I feel like I should be at the end of my Xarelto days, I didn't refill it, because a) I am lazy, and b) I am cheap, and Xarelto is expensive. Which I know is horrible, and makes me one of those terrible and not compliant patients; at the same time, I have reasons to truly believe it is okay for me to stop taking Xarelto without risking dying of pulmonary embolism. One reason is that my orthopedist actually told me I could stop taking it back in October. Granted, I didn't totally believe him, which is why I sought other opinions and continued to take the medication until now. Nonetheless, I have to think that if one medical professional told me it was okay to stop the medication four months ago, then it shouldn't be life-threatening for me to stop it now.
It just seems to me like a good time to come off the Xarelto; as I discussed with the doctor, I'd like to stop taking it before the arthrogram and just never take it again. Ideally, I'd like to keep taking it until I'm sure my DVT has resolved, but I don't want the refill the entire prescription for 3-4 days when I'm really hoping, hoping, hoping I don't need it anymore. And even if I DO, I just don't feel like I'm high enough risk that missing a few days will kill me. (If it does, I will stand corrected, and will be sure to refill the prescription in my afterlife.) In the end, although I didn't exactly tell him I would not be taking Xarelto for a few days, he agreed that at this point I was 'low risk,' considering this incidence of DVT was my first ever, and that there was a definitive cause behind the DVT in the first place (the surgery).
The sort of funny thing is that he asked me about my family history, and whether there was any family history of blood clots or miscarriage or infertility. I told him I was adopted and have no family history, although I had had a miscarriage. Then later it occurred to me that obviously my biological mom was more fertile than she wanted to be, so it was unlikely she had any issues with fertility. LOL.
The end result of all this is that I'm going to get a 'STAT' ultrasound on Friday to (hopefully) confirm that my DVT is no longer an issue, and that I can rest assured that I don't need to take the Xarelto anymore. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping this turns out well, because this is one thing I'd really like off my mind. The more I think about things and let reality set in, the more I feel like there is still something wrong with my hip. While I hope I am wrong in thinking this, I need to prepare for the possibility that I am not. And if that is the case, I just can't be dealing with a freaking blood clot on top of my hip. Jeez. This is something I'd really like off my mind, once and for all.
Here's to the power of positive thinking.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Ailment du Jour (7 Months + 12 Days)
One of my dear college friends just sent me a message about a mutual acquaintance, who is apparently experiencing very similar hip issues, and just had a second surgery. Interestingly, this woman was also diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which is something that my daughter supposedly has, which would mean that I might also have it. I wrote about this here: http://39andhip.blogspot.com/2014/11/food-for-thought-18-weeks-6-days.html.
While I was contemplating this, I realized that there are a lot of people out there who have hip problems, and while it's good to not be alone, OMG, having surgery to repair a torn labrum is right up there with being on the autism spectrum, having ADHD, or being gluten intolerant. It's that common now. It's trendy! And cool!
Okay, so I'm being purposely flippant. Sort of. Since I had this realization, I keep thinking of my poor dad, who was diagnosed as having Celiac Disease a few years ago, in his mid-60s. This was the worst type of punishment for my dad, who has always been an amazing baker and has always enjoyed flour-y, gluten-rich baked goods. I wish I could trade places with my dad, as I've never been a baked goods gal. I do realize that there is gluten in many, many things other than bread and pastries (even in soy sauce, wtf?), but I still think it would be much easier for me to be gluten-free than it is for my dad. Fortunately, there are many gluten-free options available now. While my dad appreciates this, he hates the idea that people might think he insists on gluten-free food because he is part of the anti-gluten movement and will not eat gluten because it is now very trendy to not eat gluten.
And to empathize with my dad, I hate the idea that people might think I am having hip problems because pretty much every middle-aged woman has hip problems and it is now very trendy to have hip problems and to have hip surgery to correct aforementioned hip problems. It's practically like having a Botox injection or dying your hair.
Call me cynical, but I'm currently reading a great book called Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. And while it is very fascinating to read about cancer, it also provides a very interesting perspective on the history of medicine. In reading about some of the procedures that used to be performed a few hundred years ago, I find myself grateful for modern medicine. (Surgery before anesthesia... who would agree to that?!*) At the same time, I realize that someday the procedures we go through now will be looked upon with the same scorn by future generations. I can just see this era written up in medical journals: 'In the early 2000's, it was very common for women to have hip surgery that ultimately ended up doing nothing, or inflicting more pain than the torn cartilage itself.'
* In fact, this is a big reason why Charles Darwin chose not to pursue a career in medicine; he found surgery in the days before anesthesia to be horrific.
With that said, I saw my orthopedist on Tuesday, even though I never got the snake oil cream that was supposed to be sent to me. You know it's bad when you go to your orthopedist and you get VIP treatment. His assistant was super apologetic about me not getting the cream, and my orthopedist went on and on about compounding pharmacies and how super shady they are and... and... and... whatever. I told them it wasn't a big deal just because I felt like this was beyond cream. Like... I'm willing to try the cream, but at the same time I want to move forward with other possibilities.
Fortunately, my orthopedist brought up the suggestion of the arthrogram before I even mentioned it. He agreed that regardless of what I decide in the future, it would be good to know what's going on for sure. I asked him what he thought could be a cause for the continued pain, if not normal, post-surgery pain. He said it was most likely that my labrum just never healed, for whatever reason. Then he said that sometimes the anchor used during surgery could come out, but that was unlikely without a traumatic event. Then he told me about a patient he had who fell after surgery, which made her anchor come out. This was interesting, because after multiple consultations with Dr. Google, I was aware it was actually possible for the anchor to come out, and I kept thinking back to the day of surgery, when I fell. It seemed unlikely to me that the fall did anything considering my hip didn't hurt for a long time after that, but now I wonder. I also wonder because I read the surgery report, and apparently during the surgery, my orthopedist tried to insert a second pin, but it wouldn't stay in, so he ended up not putting it in. That's not exactly encouraging. It's all... food for thought.
So the plan is: arthrogram on March 3rd followed by 'F/U' with my ortho sometime after then. (It cracks me up that 'F/U' in medical speak is 'follow up.') I was actually impressed that he recommended me getting my arthrogram at a place other than the one associated with their practice, telling me this other place had the best MRI machine and best radiologist. He also brought up the possibility of me seeing a different orthopedist again. (He is sooooo trying to get rid of me, lol.) However, we will discuss that at my F/U appointment once we have the results of the arthrogram.
And so it continues.
While I was contemplating this, I realized that there are a lot of people out there who have hip problems, and while it's good to not be alone, OMG, having surgery to repair a torn labrum is right up there with being on the autism spectrum, having ADHD, or being gluten intolerant. It's that common now. It's trendy! And cool!
Okay, so I'm being purposely flippant. Sort of. Since I had this realization, I keep thinking of my poor dad, who was diagnosed as having Celiac Disease a few years ago, in his mid-60s. This was the worst type of punishment for my dad, who has always been an amazing baker and has always enjoyed flour-y, gluten-rich baked goods. I wish I could trade places with my dad, as I've never been a baked goods gal. I do realize that there is gluten in many, many things other than bread and pastries (even in soy sauce, wtf?), but I still think it would be much easier for me to be gluten-free than it is for my dad. Fortunately, there are many gluten-free options available now. While my dad appreciates this, he hates the idea that people might think he insists on gluten-free food because he is part of the anti-gluten movement and will not eat gluten because it is now very trendy to not eat gluten.
And to empathize with my dad, I hate the idea that people might think I am having hip problems because pretty much every middle-aged woman has hip problems and it is now very trendy to have hip problems and to have hip surgery to correct aforementioned hip problems. It's practically like having a Botox injection or dying your hair.
Call me cynical, but I'm currently reading a great book called Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. And while it is very fascinating to read about cancer, it also provides a very interesting perspective on the history of medicine. In reading about some of the procedures that used to be performed a few hundred years ago, I find myself grateful for modern medicine. (Surgery before anesthesia... who would agree to that?!*) At the same time, I realize that someday the procedures we go through now will be looked upon with the same scorn by future generations. I can just see this era written up in medical journals: 'In the early 2000's, it was very common for women to have hip surgery that ultimately ended up doing nothing, or inflicting more pain than the torn cartilage itself.'
* In fact, this is a big reason why Charles Darwin chose not to pursue a career in medicine; he found surgery in the days before anesthesia to be horrific.
With that said, I saw my orthopedist on Tuesday, even though I never got the snake oil cream that was supposed to be sent to me. You know it's bad when you go to your orthopedist and you get VIP treatment. His assistant was super apologetic about me not getting the cream, and my orthopedist went on and on about compounding pharmacies and how super shady they are and... and... and... whatever. I told them it wasn't a big deal just because I felt like this was beyond cream. Like... I'm willing to try the cream, but at the same time I want to move forward with other possibilities.
Fortunately, my orthopedist brought up the suggestion of the arthrogram before I even mentioned it. He agreed that regardless of what I decide in the future, it would be good to know what's going on for sure. I asked him what he thought could be a cause for the continued pain, if not normal, post-surgery pain. He said it was most likely that my labrum just never healed, for whatever reason. Then he said that sometimes the anchor used during surgery could come out, but that was unlikely without a traumatic event. Then he told me about a patient he had who fell after surgery, which made her anchor come out. This was interesting, because after multiple consultations with Dr. Google, I was aware it was actually possible for the anchor to come out, and I kept thinking back to the day of surgery, when I fell. It seemed unlikely to me that the fall did anything considering my hip didn't hurt for a long time after that, but now I wonder. I also wonder because I read the surgery report, and apparently during the surgery, my orthopedist tried to insert a second pin, but it wouldn't stay in, so he ended up not putting it in. That's not exactly encouraging. It's all... food for thought.
So the plan is: arthrogram on March 3rd followed by 'F/U' with my ortho sometime after then. (It cracks me up that 'F/U' in medical speak is 'follow up.') I was actually impressed that he recommended me getting my arthrogram at a place other than the one associated with their practice, telling me this other place had the best MRI machine and best radiologist. He also brought up the possibility of me seeing a different orthopedist again. (He is sooooo trying to get rid of me, lol.) However, we will discuss that at my F/U appointment once we have the results of the arthrogram.
And so it continues.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
A Slow News Day (7 Months)
You know how when you watch the local news, and the lead story is about a lost dog or a fender bender, and you think to yourself, 'Wow, it must be a slow news day!' Well, it's a slow news day here. There is not much news on the hip front, which could be either good or bad, I suppose. I choose good. And even though I really don't have a lot to say, I thought I should write a seven-month update.
After my last visit to the orthopedist a month ago, we had settled on... lotion. I was skeptical, but figured what the heck, right? Supposedly this magic cream ( = a sophisticated snake oil?) was to be mailed to me? Nothing. Finally, last Friday, I inquired about this via e-mail, and I also asked for a refill for my meloxicam prescription. Every time I try to stop taking it, I can definitely feel it. My orthopedist's assistant got back to me on Monday telling me she had ordered the snake oil, and gave me a number to call to find out where it was. I didn't, just because. Because last week was insanely busy, and because it doesn't matter. In my heart, I know this is beyond snake oil. She also told me she would check with my doctor about refilling the meloxicam when he got back into the office on Tuesday. I waited all week and finally sent a follow-up e-mail on Friday. She called me within an hour to tell me she was faxing the request to my pharmacy. She seemed annoyed. Geez, woman, sorry to be such an inconvenience.
Anyway. I'm supposed to see my orthopedist in a week and half to talk about how the snake oil is or is not helping me, and even though I have not actually tried the snake oil, I'm going to keep the appointment, because I have a plan laid out in my head. The plan is:
After my last visit to the orthopedist a month ago, we had settled on... lotion. I was skeptical, but figured what the heck, right? Supposedly this magic cream ( = a sophisticated snake oil?) was to be mailed to me? Nothing. Finally, last Friday, I inquired about this via e-mail, and I also asked for a refill for my meloxicam prescription. Every time I try to stop taking it, I can definitely feel it. My orthopedist's assistant got back to me on Monday telling me she had ordered the snake oil, and gave me a number to call to find out where it was. I didn't, just because. Because last week was insanely busy, and because it doesn't matter. In my heart, I know this is beyond snake oil. She also told me she would check with my doctor about refilling the meloxicam when he got back into the office on Tuesday. I waited all week and finally sent a follow-up e-mail on Friday. She called me within an hour to tell me she was faxing the request to my pharmacy. She seemed annoyed. Geez, woman, sorry to be such an inconvenience.
Anyway. I'm supposed to see my orthopedist in a week and half to talk about how the snake oil is or is not helping me, and even though I have not actually tried the snake oil, I'm going to keep the appointment, because I have a plan laid out in my head. The plan is:
- I'm going to ask to have an arthrogram. I feel as if I need to know what's going on, regardless of whether or not I'd agree to another surgery. To be honest, at this point, my level of discomfort is enough that I cannot completely rule out the possibility that I might seriously need to consider another Something Major that is beyond snake oil and needles. Even if it's not right away, I need to be able to prepare mentally for various possibilities, especially since I'm foreseeing some major changes in my future, and any long periods of being on crutches need to be worked into my plans. (I am a planner.)
- If the arthrogram shows something significant - i.e., something requiring surgery to fix - I think I am going to shop around for a new orthopedist, or at least get second and third opinions about the best course of action.
- If the arthrogram shows that everything is splendid - i.e., the pain I'm feeling is really just normal, post-surgery pain - I think I am going to try physical therapy again, and I am definitely going to shop around for a GOOD physical therapist. I think I will also try some massage therapy, because my muscles feel really tight. Of course, I know now that the muscle pain could be the pain from inside the joint manifesting itself as muscle pain, which is why I think it would be helpful to get an arthrogram and at least know what I'm dealing with.
- And on the topic of massage, also in my plan is to follow up with my primary care doctor for my DVT. It has been six months since I started taking Xarelto, and the blood clot should be cleared up by now. I need to get an ultrasound to (hopefully) confirm this. I should definitely not have any massage therapy until I am sure the blood clot is gone.
- I have gone skiing several times this winter, and my hip has held its own. This is nothing to get majorly excited about, as I actually went skiing last winter, too, at the height of my pain (pre-cortisone shot and pre-surgery) and my hip held its own. Nevertheless, I'm grateful to be able to ski. For a while, I was so nervous about falling that I spent way too much time worrying about how a fall might affect my hip, and I couldn't relax and just ski. But eventually I took a spill while cutting through some trees, and it turned out to be a good thing, because I wiped out and came out with my hip intact. I realized that while my hip does still hurt me, it's not, like, completely unstable and falling apart on me. That's always a good thing. :)
- The last time I went skiing, I definitely felt a lot of pain afterwards, more than the first couple of times, and enough to sort of freak me out. After a little break, I am going to go again tomorrow. I am a little nervous, but at the same time I sort of figure that no matter what I do, my hip hurts, so why not live a little?
- So while skiing doesn't really bother my hip, walking does. And that is slightly inconvenient. LOL.
- I'm also taking an EMT class right now, and there have been a couple times when I've had MAJOR PAIN from deep within my hip joint that really doesn't sit well with me. This came after trying to run and after doing various types of patient lifting.
- This is actually a concern because I am hoping to be become a certified EMT in May and get a job doing something EMT-related over the summer, which is part of the reason I feel like I really need to know what's going on with my hip, so I can plan accordingly.
- Going from standing to sitting and going up stairs are still my major nemeses. I limp. A lot. So much that pretty much every one of my colleagues has commented on it in the past month.
- Also, trying to find a comfortable position for sleeping is still a challenge, as I cannot lie on either side comfortably. I've actually gone back to lying on my back with my legs elevated, which I had sort of abandoned once my DVT seemed to be getting better. But now I realize I slept like that for so long I'm used to it.
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